Hello Writer Bees,
With the holidays and the new year fast approaching, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on 2021. More specifically, my writing journey and its ups and downs. Here are three things I’ve learned about myself as a writer this year.
Always Find Time to Write
When I started my 9 to 5 office job, I was grateful for the opportunity but also worried about not having time to write. Sometimes, it’s stressful for me to juggle a full-time job, a blog and a work of fiction. This year, I learned that there’s always time, I just need to look hard enough. Just because I can’t write until the wee hours anymore, like I used to, doesn’t mean I can’t get creative another time of day. Now, I write during my lunch break. And I write after hours and on weekends. Writing is important to me, therefore, I make sure I find those scraps of time.
Write Outside the Box
I’ve learned to be open to experimenting and taking chances with my writing. This year, I challenged myself to write outside my comfort zone and preferred genre. Even a mystery writer like myself can write outside the box and have fun with it. In doing so, I became more aware of my writing style and voice. Here on this blog, I’ve dabbled in other genres I don’t normally write in. And I wrote a few 100 words stories too. If you’re interested in reading, check out a few stories below!
- Victim At Midnight (Horror)
- Hamburgers and Horoscopes (Humor)
- This is BEN-G567 (Sci-Fi)
Trust In My Writer Gut
During NaNoWriMo, I focused on editing my mystery WIP. Of course, with editing, comes making major and minor changes to the story. There were times I doubted myself. Am I fussing over nothing? Am I making unnecessary edits? This year, I learned to trust my gut. If my writer instinct is pulling the plot is a certain direction, or I need to change something, I should go for it. It’s my story to tell and I’m going to tell it the best I can. As a writer, I’m learning to be confident in my choices, even when others may disagree.
What have you learned about yourself and your writing this year? How have you grown as a writer? Talk to me in the comments. As always, I love to hear from the writing community.
Head’s up, I’ll be taking the next few weeks off for the holidays. See you all in 2022!
Stay safe, stay creative and happy holidays everyone!
Love,
Lady Jabberwocky
Lady Jabberwocky 
These last two years have been harsh, and my already-low output has suffered even more. Then my wife had a stroke back at the start of the summer, and all of a sudden there is no time for anything. I know people say “If you’re too busy to write, then you’re not a writer.” but I don’t agree. When my three kids were small and I was the primary caregiver as well as holding down a part time job, I still found more time for writing than I do now. I believe that someday I will pick up the dropped threads of those projects, but I’ll do it because I’m ready to.
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Great post! I started blogging regularly in 2021. I learned how engaging and interesting the blogging community can be, and how much more authentically I can show up when I’ve shared more of myself with the world.
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